How did medieval people think about the environments in which they lived? In a world shaped by God, how did they treat environments marked by religious difference? The Keys to Bread and Wine explores the answers to these questions in Valencia in the later Middle Ages. When Christians conquered the city in 1238, it was already one of the richest agricultural areas in the Mediterranean thanks to a network of irrigation canals constructed under Muslim rule. Despite this constructed environment, drought, flooding, plagues, and other natural disasters continued to confront civic leaders in the later medieval period. Abigail Agresta argues that the city's Christian rulers took a technocratic approach to environmental challenges in the fourteenth century but by the mid-fifteenth century relied increasingly on religious ritual, reflecting a dramatic transformation in the city's religious identity. Using the records of Valencia's municipal council, she traces the council's efforts to expand the region's infrastructure in response to natural disasters, while simultaneously rendering the landscape within the city walls more visibly Christian. This having been achieved, Valencia's leaders began by the mid-fifteenth century to privilege rogations and other ritual responses over infrastructure projects. But these appeals to divine aid were less about desperation than confidence in the city's Christianity. Reversing traditional narratives of technological progress, The Keys to Bread and Wine shows how religious concerns shaped the governance of the environment, with far-reaching implications for the environmental and religious history of medieval Iberia.
Written by black, gay science-fiction writer, professor, and theorist Samuel R. Delany, and drawn by artist/martial arts instructor Mia Wolff, Bread & Wine is a graphic autobiography that flashes back to the unlikely story of how Delany befriend ed Dennis, and how they became an enduring couple―Delany, a professor at Philadelphia’s Temple University, Dennis, an intelligent man living on the streets. For casual readers and fans, Bread & Wine is a moving, sexually charged love story, with visuals informed by Wolff’s professional physical pursuits. Her black-and-white, pen-and-ink work not only expressionistically represents the characters’ “body language” and the bustling New York setting, but is also filled with impish art references and visual puns. The scholarly potential for the book, based on the poem “Bread and Wine” by the German lyric poet Friedrich Holderlin, not only encompasses queer, African-American, and graphic novel studies, but also exploration in the literary and paraliterary academic fields. This edition includes an introduction by Watchmen writer Alan Moore, commentary by the book’s protagonists, Delany and Dennis, and a new interview with Delany and Wolff.
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER As seen on The Joe Rogan Experience! A groundbreaking dive into the role psychedelics have played in the origins of Western civilization, and the real-life quest for the Holy Grail that could shake the Church to its foundations. The most influential religious historian of the 20th century, Huston Smith, once referred to it as the "best-kept secret" in history. Did the Ancient Greeks use drugs to find God? And did the earliest Christians inherit the same, secret tradition? A profound knowledge of visionary plants, herbs and fungi passed from one generation to the next, ever since the Stone Age? There is zero archaeological evidence for the original Eucharist – the sacred wine said to guarantee life after death for those who drink the blood of Jesus. The Holy Grail and its miraculous contents have never been found. In the absence of any hard data, whatever happened at the Last Supper remains an article of faith for today’s 2.5 billion Christians. In an unprecedented search for answers, The Immortality Key examines the archaic roots of the ritual that is performed every Sunday for nearly one third of the planet. Religion and science converge to paint a radical picture of Christianity’s founding event. And after centuries of debate, to solve history’s greatest puzzle. Before the birth of Jesus, the Ancient Greeks found salvation in their own sacraments. Sacred beverages were routinely consumed as part of the so-called Ancient Mysteries – elaborate rites that led initiates to the brink of death. The best and brightest from Athens and Rome flocked to the spiritual capital of Eleusis, where a holy beer unleashed heavenly visions for two thousand years. Others drank the holy wine of Dionysus to become one with the god. In the 1970s, renegade scholars claimed this beer and wine – the original sacraments of Western civilization – were spiked with mind-altering drugs. In recent years, vindication for the disgraced theory has been quietly mounting in the laboratory. The constantly advancing fields of archaeobotany and archaeochemistry have hinted at the enduring use of hallucinogenic drinks in antiquity. And with a single dose of psilocybin, the psychopharmacologists at Johns Hopkins and NYU are now turning self-proclaimed atheists into instant believers. But the smoking gun remains elusive. If these sacraments survived for thousands of years in our remote prehistory, from the Stone Age to the Ancient Greeks, did they also survive into the age of Jesus? Was the Eucharist of the earliest Christians, in fact, a psychedelic Eucharist? With an unquenchable thirst for evidence, Muraresku takes the reader on his twelve-year global hunt for proof. He tours the ruins of Greece with its government archaeologists. He gains access to the hidden collections of the Louvre to show the continuity from pagan to Christian wine. He unravels the Ancient Greek of the New Testament with the world’s most controversial priest. He spelunks into the catacombs under the streets of Rome to decipher the lost symbols of Christianity’s oldest monuments. He breaches the secret archives of the Vatican to unearth manuscripts never before translated into English. And with leads from the archaeological chemists at UPenn and MIT, he unveils the first scientific data for the ritual use of psychedelic drugs in classical antiquity. The Immortality Key reconstructs the suppressed history of women consecrating a forbidden, drugged Eucharist that was later banned by the Church Fathers. Women who were then targeted as witches during the Inquisition, when Europe’s sacred pharmacology largely disappeared. If the scientists of today have resurrected this technology, then Christianity is in crisis. Unless it returns to its roots. Featuring a Foreword by Graham Hancock, the NYT bestselling author of America Before.
Recovering a forgotten theologian. Klaas Schilder (1890–1952) was a prominent Dutch Reformed theologian in the early twentieth century, first as a pastor and then as a professor. While his fame spread to North America in the 1940s, he is mostly forgotten today. In The Klaas Schilder Reader: The Essential Theological Writings, readers will rediscover this important Dutch theologian. Working in the tradition of Abraham Kuyper and Herman Bavinck, Schilder applies Dutch Neo-Calvinism to the twentieth century. This includes secularism, the rise and influence of Karl Barth, opposition to Nazism, and the relation between the church and society. The Klaas Schilder Reader contextualizes his work and furthers the neo-Calvinist tradition.
Within this book is a key to unlock the spiritual and psychological chains, and opens the way to a greater understanding of the scriptures, ourselves, and our direct connection with the Ultimate Reality we call God. In The Key to Eden, Aankh Benu takes the interpretation of the scriptures and life to higher dimensions, while revealing a depth of meaning. This book, the first of two volumes, is a guide to personalizing our spirituality, while eradicating the need of an intermediary. Designed to eliminate the vicarious religious mindset, this book provides a personalized path of spiritual attunement. Through following the instructions given in the book, the reader will be guided through a step by step process of initiation, that will lead to the realization of our innate potential, and a life of greater joy and fulfillment. This book is a gift of wisdom, healing, and power meant to be shared with the world.
This meticulously edited Martin Luther collection includes: Introduction: Luther by John Acton Works: Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences (95 theses) The Bondage of the Will To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation Prelude on the Babylonian Captivity of the Church A Treatise on Christian Liberty A Treatise of Good Works A Treatise on Baptism Disputation on the Divinity and Humanity of Christ The Large Catechism The Small Catechism Commentary on Genesis On the Creation On Sin and the Flood Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians The Epistles of St. Peter and St. Jude Preached and Explained Epistle Sermons Epiphany, Easter and Pentecost Trinity Sunday to Advent Table Talk The Book of Vagabonds and Beggars Discussion of Confession The Fourteen of Consolation Warning Against the Jews The Smalcald Articles The German Mass and Order of Divine Service An Open Letter on Translating Letter to Several Nuns Hymns Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice A Mighty Fortress Is Our God Savior of the Nations, Come The Martyrs' Hymn
Martin Luther's 'The Collected Works of Martin Luther' is a comprehensive collection of writings by the influential theologian and leader of the Protestant Reformation. The book covers a wide range of topics including theology, biblical interpretation, and the relationship between church and state. Luther's writing style is direct, passionate, and deeply rooted in his spiritual beliefs, making it both engaging and thought-provoking for readers. This collection provides valuable insights into the historical and religious context of the 16th century Europe, shedding light on the turbulent times in which Luther lived and worked. Martin Luther, a German monk and theologian, wrote these works in response to the corruption and teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. His bold ideas and critiques sparked a major religious movement and forever changed the course of Western Christianity. Luther's personal experiences and strong convictions are evident in his writing, making it a valuable resource for scholars and readers interested in the Reformation era. I highly recommend 'The Collected Works of Martin Luther' to anyone interested in the history of Christianity, theology, or the Protestant Reformation. Luther's writings are not only historically significant but also intellectually stimulating, offering a unique perspective on faith and spirituality.
The wrestling match with God at Jabbok, where he insisted on a blessing, turned Jacob's life upside down. Before the wrestling match, Jacob was a prolific blessing-chaser and got whatever he wanted in his battles with Esau and Laban. After that night, his fate took an adverse turn: calamities and deaths rushed upon his family. What happened? Didn't God bless him? What was the wrestled blessing all about? The Bible is surprisingly reticent about disclosing the specifics of the blessing. This book investigates the mysteries of the wrestling match, the blessing, and the ensuing years. Why is Jacob's life story relevant to us today? We all want God's blessings, but we may not always understand what we are getting. Jacob's life story illuminates reasons behind suffering, illustrates true blessedness, and impels us to live life with a divine perspective.
This meticulously edited Martin Luther collection includes: Introduction: Luther by John Acton Works: Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences (95 theses) The Bondage of the Will To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation Prelude on the Babylonian Captivity of the Church A Treatise on Christian Liberty A Treatise of Good Works A Treatise on Baptism Disputation on the Divinity and Humanity of Christ The Large Catechism The Small Catechism Commentary on Genesis On the Creation On Sin and the Flood Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians The Epistles of St. Peter and St. Jude Preached and Explained Epistle Sermons Epiphany, Easter and Pentecost Trinity Sunday to Advent Table Talk The Book of Vagabonds and Beggars Discussion of Confession The Fourteen of Consolation Warning Against the Jews The Smalcald Articles The German Mass and Order of Divine Service An Open Letter on Translating Letter to Several Nuns Hymns Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice A Mighty Fortress Is Our God Savior of the Nations, Come The Martyrs' Hymn
